Original scientific paper

Ivan Krstitelj Tkalčić, the Librarian of the Academy

Ivica Zvonar ; Odsjek za povijesne znanosti ZPDZ HAZU, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Abstract

There are a number of works on the biography and work of Ivan Krstitelj Tkalčić in Croatian historiography and journalism, but only in the most recent period has there appeared any interest in his activity as a librarian. In this context, this short paper tries to contribute to the better knowledge of a still not sufficiently discussed history of Croatian librarianship.
The author, based on the accessible archival sources and previous scholarly literature, analyses the activity of Ivan Krstitelj Tkalčić in the period from 1882 to 1892, when he held the position of the librarian of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (Jugoslavenska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti) in Zagreb. In that line of work he was an autodidact, but he accepted that position with good will and an interest in books and scholarly research. In the first years of his service, he succeeded in introducing order there and started to work on the catalogue. However, in spite of Tkalčić’s diligence and efforts towards the task of putting the library in order, because of a number of unfavourable circumstances (such as problems with space, short working hours, a number of other obligations, and so on), even at the end of his mandate the whole library stock had still not been fully and satisfactorily put in order.

Keywords

Ivan Krstitelj Tkalčić; Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (Jugoslavenska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti); librarianship; the nineteenth century; Croatian history

Hrčak ID:

45749

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/45749

Publication date:

30.12.2009.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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